Fushigi Ai Mysterious Love
by Yumiko Kaze
Summary: COMPLETE/One-shot: My take on the romance between the Byakko Priestess and Tatara.


            Eh. Ello, I would just like to say that this here is a one shot, and that I wrote it about a year ago for an English portfolio. So if it seems to move fast at all or be recapping too much it's because my teacher wouldn't have understood it otherwise and I tweaked the plot a little so this happens as if the Seiryuu Seishi never went to Sairo. In any case the whole drawn out fight scene is not included. My teacher thought I was nuts in anyways, this was originally double spaced so I turned in about forty pages worth of work. Anyways, I would really appreciate any reviews (critics included) about what I've written. Even just a simple "I liked it" or "Hated it" will work.

Fushigi Ai

(Mysterious Love)

            _Once upon a time, as all stories go, there was a book. This was just not any book, this book was "The Universe of The Four Gods," it was not just a simple story. For whoever reads it through will be given the powers of the beast gods and granted three wishes. The book has been around forever, and it has fulfilled many wishes, but, it has also been the source of much heartache. For when a girl is pulled into the book, she becomes a priestess of a beast god. According to custom she has seven celestial warriors, and most times, the girl simply gathers them all, summons the god, and returns home. However, sometimes things are not so easy. For even the most powerful magic and the laws of heaven can hold no sway over feelings from the heart. And love, is perhaps the most powerful magic of all…_

_~ It was many and many a year ago,   
In a kingdom by the sea,   
That a maiden there lived whom you may know   
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;--   
And this maiden she lived with no other thought   
Than to love and be loved by me. ~_

      Suzuno smiled as she heard the van pull into the driveway. She was nearing death, she knew in her heart this was her last day and now… Finally. She had found someone who would believe her story. She chuckled to herself as she heard Motoki arguing with her guests just outside the door.

"How does this Suzuno woman know about this book?" one voice asked.

      Motoki answered, "Because she says she went into it too, and became the Priestess of Byakko.

"Huh? There was another Priestess?" a second new voice joined in, and Suzuno frowned. 

_So, the book doesn't think I'm important enough to mention does it? Humph._

"Whoa, you guys believe that stuff?"

The first voice answered him, "Whether you believe it or not, my best friends little sister is the Priestess of Suzaku."

Motoki sniffed, "More weirdos and their stories…" 

Suzuno couldn't help the surge of anger she felt at that. Everything she had told her adopted grandson was the truth! He just didn't want to believe it…

The door opened and three boys stepped in and the mocking tone in Motoki's voice was impossible to miss, "Allow me to introduce you to the Priestess of Byakko."

In the Universe of the Four Gods…

Tatara smiled at the young Suzaku Priestess, handing her a silver backed hand mirror. Miaka could hardly contain herself from flinging her arms around the man in joy. Normally she would have done just that, but his body's wracking cough stopped her. She had almost forgotten, Tatara may have looked only twenty or so, but that was only because of Subaru's spell; cast on him so that he could protect the Shinzaho, but in return for physical strength it did not stop him from aging on the inside. By now he was well over a hundred years old. Instead, Miaka offered him a bright smile. 

"Thank you Tatara!"

      The Byakko Sichiseishi nodded and coughed again before sitting down, leaning his back against the cool stone of the Byakko shrine. Now that he no longer needed to protect the Shinzaho his body was finally giving out on him. 

"That Shinzaho belonged to my dearly beloved Suzuno. Please take care of it."

      Miaka nodded, clasping it gently yet firmly over her heart. 

_We finally have it! She looked at Tamahome and grinned, this would finally allow her to summon Suzaku! _Now Tamahome and I can be together! When Suzaku comes, I'll wish to stay here, with him…_ _

Then a thought struck her. 

_Dearly beloved Suzuno? _

"If you don't mind my asking, who was this Suzuno? How did you know her?" Mentally she slapped herself, _Gah! Stupid! Obviously,__ she was the Priestess of Byakko! Dummy!_

      However, Tatara didn't seem to mind her poorly disguised interest in what had happened between him and the Priestess, and before she could apologize for her impertinence, Tatara had already begun to tell the tale. 

"Suzuno Oosugi," he began, "A girl from your time and place who came here and then returned to your world after successfully summoning Byakko. For us," he gestured to Tokaki and Subaru who stood among the six remaining Suzaku warriors and their Priestess, "she was the Priestess of Byakko." 

Closing his weary eyes, Tatara smiled as he envisioned his beloved Priestess by his side once again. "She was a gentle girl with soft eyes and long brown hair…"

As Tatara told the story, he himself was remembering the adventure, long at its end, that had begun so very long ago… 

It all started ninety years earlier, in Sairo, the western country of the continent. Each country had a legend about a girl who would one day appear, and save their country by summoning the beast god of that particular region. The odd part about the prophecy was that it stated the Priestess would appear from another world entirely.

Tatara had known since the white symbol had first appeared on the back of his right hand that he was destined to protect this girl. Though he had never known exactly when or where she would appear. Then again, no one really did. The legend only said that when it was time for her to come, then Byakko would call her.

And he supposed, that there had never been a better time than now…

As the white light faded, Tatara blinked away the colorful spots that had been left in his vision and as he stood up and looked around for where such a phenomenon had come, he realized that the spots were not all that had been left behind. For sprawled out unceremoniously -in his flower bed of all places- was a young woman who was dressed most outlandishly. He had never before seen such clothes. Her hair was pulled into two long braids which would have reached the middle of her back had she been standing, and Tatara could not help but think that it was a very pretty shade of brown… the color of ash leaves in the fall.

After a full thirty seconds of standing over her still form, staring like a ninny, he pulled himself together enough to kneel down and shake her gently. Rewarded with a slight groan, he knew that at least she was not dead, only unconscious. He was about to pick her up and carry her into the house - Tatara lived far from town and it would not do to leave her lying on the ground - when the same white light that she had appeared in began emanating from his hand. Tatara gaped in amazement. The symbol had never glowed that brightly before. Staring at the symbol, it dawned on him. 

Turning wide amethyst eyes to the girl, one stammered sentence made its way to freedom. 

"Priestess of Byakko…"

Yes, truly there would have been no better time for her to appear than now. Sairo _was in the midst of a war with Kutou, and having their Priestess come was a sure sign that they would be saved from Kutou's crushing military force. However, the war certainly did make things difficult trying to locate the other star warriors. The blasted scroll the Emperor gave them told them only two clues for each one! For all he knew, they had already been killed in the war!_

Not that he'd ever tell Suzuno that. No need to worry her. He snuck a glance at the girl, who was riding the horse traveling alongside his. Thankful for the fact that the shorter hair that always managed to escape being braided and hung around his face _did insist on hiding his eyes, a fact that he usually complained about. She had been so excited when she had learned that she was the priestess of Byakko. She had been so happy to know that she had a way to get home…. To see her sad would be agony. No, he would not bother her with those trifles._

Most of the time his Priestess was a very calm and level headed girl, but when excited she could rival one of those typhoons that Konan suffered every so often. He winced remembering how she had reacted when she had first woken up to find him depositing her on his bed. He _still_ had bruises from that! And he had just been trying to be nice! Sheesh, women overreacted about the weirdest things…

Unaware of her Seishi's gaze upon her, Suzuno was enveloped in her own thoughts. Normally, she and Tatara could talk about anything, having no one else to talk with since they had yet to find the second Seishi, but lately… She sighed inwardly, she had only known the man for a few weeks now and yet she had to admit to herself that yes, she did feel something other than companionable affection for him. She had never been like the other girls at school, having a crush on a new guy every other week, she knew that there would really only ever be one man in her life that she could love without boundaries. 

She glanced at Tatara and blushed when he saw her looking - though he was just as quick to turn away as she was. 

_Idiot! She told herself. _You can't do this now! You have to find the other warriors of Byakko so you can go home! It won't do you any good to fall in love with a character in a book! Once you go home you'll never see him again!_ _

She berated herself and viciously tried to stop the feelings she was beginning to have for Tatara… to no avail.

As usually happens in a story like this, Suzuno's feelings were not one sided. Tatara was also rebuking himself for certain growing feelings for a certain Priestess. The next day they came to a city and stopped at a small inn. He unsaddled his horse and once again tried to sneak a look at Suzuno without her noticing. She was so beautiful, and she didn't even seem to know it. Her eyes were the same color as morning mist, and the fading sunlight was bringing out a silver cast to her hair. Tatara turned back to grooming the horse before taking it to the stable. He had always called Suzuno "Priestess," a sort of nickname. Now he called her "Priestess" as a way to distance himself from her. Thinking that if he did not allow himself to get close to her, that it would not hurt as much that she obviously had no feelings for him in return. 

_You dolt! You can't have feelings for Suzuno! She's the Priestess for cripes sake! She's off limits to simple hermits like you! It's called a **professional distance, you moron! Besides, she'll never love you back, she comes from a completely different world. And in case you forgot, the whole reason you're looking for the other Seishi is to fulfill the prophesy so she can go home. **_

He finished combing the horse and waited for Suzuno to finish hers, staring at the ground in thought. 

_She wants to go home…_

"Hey, Tatara."

Startled out of his thoughts, Tatara looked up from the ground at Suzuno. "Yes Priestess?"

She grimaced, "I wish you wouldn't call me that. It's Suzuno."

He grinned impishly, "Yes, Priestess."

"Uh huh. Cute. Well anyway, I was just gonna tell you that I saw a store across the street. I wanted to go have a look at whatever they have. Want to come with me?" 

She hoped she didn't look to hopeful.

Tatara thought it over. 

_YES! Say Yes! He thought to himself, __But look at her face. Does that look like the face of a girl who really cares? _

It seemed that Suzuno was a bit too good at masking her emotions…

"Er… no. I think I'll just go and see if they have two rooms available." he said as he turned and led the horse into the stable before going to check them in.

Suzuno sighed and looked at the nearest wall, wondering how many times she would have to smack her head against it before managing to knock herself unconscious. 

_Suzuno Oosugi. You put the Hope in HopeLESS!_

It didn't take Tatara very long to decide that he would join Suzuno, there really wasn't much else to do in this small town. And besides, he might as well enjoy the time he had with his beloved Priestess, because once she returned to her world, he would never see her again.

Just as he exited the inn, Tatara could see Suzuno coming out of the store, a small package in her hands. As she stepped into the street, she was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't even see the carriage that was barreling down the street straight for her. 

"SUZUNO!"

Suzuno's head jerked up and she froze in surprise. That had been Tatara's voice, but had he just called her by her name? He never called her Suzuno, it was always Priestess, or Byakko no Miko… 

Blinking, as she tried to understand why he had called her by name, she registered the sounds of horse's hooves and turned her head to look, hearing Tatara's terrified yell at the sight of the huge wooden carriage bearing down on her.

Suzuno's mind shut down. She couldn't think, she couldn't move, as she watched the horses rear, as if in slow motion, less than two feet in front of her. There was no time to run. The scream that tried to escape crept past her lips as nothing more than a terrified whimper. Throwing up her arms in a futile attempt to protect herself, Suzuno closed her eyes, knowing that that was the last thing she would ever see… 

_I'm going to die. Tatara… _

There was an impact all right, but it definitely wasn't from a horses hoof. It came from another body that suddenly tackled her, sending them both flying out of harm's way. She landed underneath that body, strong arms wrapped about her and her head buried in a warm, solid chest. She blinked, not yet fully comprehending what must have happened.

Tatara was there. He was the one who had caught her…who had saved her life. She noted detachedly that the moron driving the carriage just kept on going.

"Suzuno, are you all right?" 

Tatara's anxious amethyst eyes looked her over, searching for any visible injuries. 

Finding her voice, Suzuno blinked slowly, not quite registering what had just happened. And why did he keep saying her name? 

Yes… I think so." 

She stared at him in stunned wonder as he sat up, effectively dragging her with him as he had yet to let her go. Unconsciously, her fingers curled into his shirt and she couldn't help but want to just stay there and cling to him forever.

Tatara let out a relieved sounding noise before tightening his still-not-relinquished hold into something that was more of an embrace, tucking Suzuno's head under his chin. 

"Thank the gods. I thought…" he trailed off, realizing what he had been about to say. 

_Aw to hell with it. Forget professional distance. _

"I thought I was going to lose you." he finished honestly.

Suzuno's eyes widened and she felt her face burn, "Lose me?" she looked up at his face from her comfortable position. "Why would you be afraid of that?" she asked, hoping to cover up the fact that she was likely as red as a tomato. _Why did he save me? I know he's my guardian, but I never expected him to actually_ risk his life for me…__

Tatara, in the last few moments, had decided that it didn't matter to him if Suzuno loved him back or not. He could still love her, and he would protect her with his life, no matter what. He just knew that he couldn't keep this feeling bottled up inside any longer or it would surely drive him insane. He had to tell her, and then take whatever the consequences might be…

"Why…?" she was abruptly cut off as a large hand came from out of seemingly nowhere to gently position itself under her chin and slowly draw her face up until it was less than an inch away from Tatara's own, his nose brushing alongside hers. Gray eyes stared into light violet ones searchingly before sliding shut completely of their own accord as warm velvety soft lips covered her own in the softest of kisses. 

Warm tingles zinged up her back from where his hands rested and, though she was sitting, turned her knee's to jelly. Her arms slid up and wrapped themselves around Tatara's neck. She had _never_ dreamed that anything could feel like this! And to think that most girls wasted their first kiss on some guy in high school… someone who would likely be meaningless to them not a month later… 

Her coherent thoughts quickly ebbed away as Tatara showed her only the surface of what the deep waters of love could hold with just a simple kiss.

"Because I love you." 

His voice, naturally deep, had lowered an octave and made a delicious shiver run up her spine. She opened her eyes and stared at Tatara, who seemed to be trying not to look too hopeful. Like a little boy asking for something he knows he probably can't have.

Suzuno's eyes closed briefly at hearing those words from the man she had so unwittingly fallen in love with. Opening them again she smiled, bringing her face closer to his once again. 

"Well guess what Tatara? I love you too."

And she surprised herself (as well as Tatara) by closing the distance between them and returning Tatara's love for all she was worth.

Neither of them had ever been so happy before as in that moment.

_~ She was a child and I was a child,   
In this kingdom by the sea,   
But we loved with a love that was more than love--   
I and my Annabel Lee--   
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven   
Coveted her and me.  ~_

      It was several weeks later, when Suzuno came running down the street of Sairo's capital, yelling Tatara's name and waving a hand frantically above her head. Hoping that he would be able to see her amidst the much taller locals who didn't seem to mind shoving her around as they hurried to wherever they were going. 

"Tatara!"

      To her relief, an answering "Suzuno!" greeted her from across the market square. Finally having had enough of the passerby's rudeness, Suzuno fisted her hands and bodily shoved many of the men and some women out of her way. Though she had a slight and somewhat willowy frame, Suzuno made up for it by being agile enough to dodge most people with overloaded baskets that decided to take a swing at her - sometimes hitting her new companion instead.

Finally reaching Tatara, Suzuno smiled brightly, gesturing to the tall man behind her. 

"Look what I found!" she exclaimed happily.

      Tatara looked the man over critically. 

"What about him?"

      Suzuno sighed and smacked a palm against her forehead. 

"Hello? _Why have we been combing the city for the last few days?"_

      Now Tatara was interested. 

"You mean he's one of the Byakko Seven? We finally found one?"

Suzuno nodded and the newcomer grinned roguishly. 

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Tokaki. I believe you've been looking for me?" With that, he ran a hand through his hair, which was oddly white for such a young man, and his golden earring made a ringing noise. 

Tatara felt a surge of annoyance. He had a feeling that _that_ little display had been designed purely to attract women. With a glance at Suzuno he frowned. 

"And just where, pray tell, did you find this character?" 

He felt his male ego inflate a little as Suzuno giggled and Tokaki looked slightly insulted.

"Erm… in a bar." 

She avoided looking him in the eye and clasped her hands behind her back, trying to look innocent.

"WHAT?! What were you doing in a bar?!" 

Tatara could just barely keep himself from shaking the girl. "This is a big city, Suzuno! Do you know what kind of people hang out at places like those?"

"Hey!" 

Now Tokaki _was insulted._

"Well, the scroll gave the clue "fight," and I figured that the best place to look for a fight would be in a bar. Sooo…"

"Yeah. Too bad she didn't take into account the fact that not many women hang around in bars. The minute she walked in there she became the target of at least two really drunk, really ugly men who had to be at least old enough to be her father. If I hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened," Tokaki piped up, eager to tell how he had so bravely rescued the damsel in distress. However, Suzuno apparently didn't want Tatara to know the details, and so she discretely gave his foot a good stomping. 

"OW!"

"Serves ya right," she grumbled, playing nervously with the end of one of her braids.

Tatara did not look happy.

"Suzuno…" he began in a low voice. The tone that usually meant she was about to get lectured on doing things that could possibly get her killed.

"I'm sorry! I know it was stupid. But I'm okay now and we have the second warrior. I've already convinced him to come with us. Shouldn't we go and look for the third?" she interrupted irritably.

Tatara's frown disappeared as he considered what she had said. Turning to Tokaki he extended his hand and smiled in welcome to the newfound Seishi. 

"I thank you. I don't know what I'd have done had she been hurt." Tokaki shook the offered limb, but looked back and forth from Suzuno to Tatara. 

Stretching his arms over his head, Tokaki then draped an arm around Suzuno's shoulders. 

"Anything for such a nice piece of ass like you."

Suzuno could feel a sweat drop forming on her head. She had forgotten to mention one very important thing to Tatara… 

"Tatara. I forgot to warn you. Tokaki's kind of…"

A "WHAM!" resounded though the market, followed by a thud as Tokaki landed on the ground, clasping a hand to his left cheek. Through the fingers of which a glowing white symbol could be seen.

"…lewd?" she finished, heaving a sigh as Tatara dusted off his hands. One thing Tatara could not tolerate was disrespect to women. Which was another reason why Suzuno loved the guy so much.

The next few seishi were not so hard to locate, now that they had a member of their team who possessed the powers of teleporation. Subaru and Amefuri were found almost within a day of each other, both living in small towns bordering the country of Hokkan. 

What the Byakko Sichiseishi were not expecting to find hit them with the force of a hurricane.

"You can't love Suzuno anymore," Tokaki explained deadpan to Tatara after he had cornered the other man in their room at the Inn. (The girls were all sharing a second room down the hall)

Tatara's eyes narrowed. "And why not? Last time I checked I was allowed to love whomever I so chose to."

Tokaki sighed. "That's not what I meant."

"Well then what do you mean?"

"You two can't be in love anymore. When I got back with Amefuri from that little town she lived in we heard about the legend of the Priestess of Genbu." He waited for this to shock Tatara, and when it didn't, he continued on anyway. "Apparently Hokkan's priestess appeared around a hundred and ten years ago, and after summoning Genbu, you know what happened? She returned to her own world."

Tatara frowned, studying the cracks in the wooden floor. "That won't happen with Suzuno," he replied firmly. "In the weeks before we found you, she had already made a decision to stay here. With me." Tatara glowered at Tokaki, as though daring him to dispute this fact.

Never one to back down, Tokaki sniffed, "Well what if she _can't_ stay here?" he grunted when Tatara stubbornly refused to answer him. "Look Tatara. I know you guys are in love and all, but I really don't want to see you get all torn up over this. Suzuno means a lot to you, and when she leaves it's gonna do no less than short of kill you." 

Tokaki's heart was in the right place, but what he was asking Tatara to do was asking the impossible. Give up Suzuno? Relinquish his sole reason for living now?

_~ And this was the reason that, long ago,  
In this kingdom by the sea,   
A wind blew out of a cloud by night   
Chilling my Annabel Lee;   
So that her high-born kinsman came   
And bore her away from me,   
To shut her up in a sepulcher   
In this kingdom by the sea._ ~

      Suzuno twisted restlessly in her bed, groaning as she kicked the too-warm blankets off. That dream. Again. This was the third time she had had it, and every time what the freaky old lady said made more and more sense. _"There are rules!"_ The woman had hissed, _"The line between Seishi and Priestess must not be crossed! This has never happened before in all the millennia of time, and it shall not happen now! Abandon your love for Tatara at once!" _Slowly Suzuno rubbed a hand across her eyes. 

Should she? Could she abandon her feelings for Tatara? Just like that? Her dreams had never lied to her before. But forget Tatara? No! She couldn't. She was going to stay_ here when it was all over and make a new life in this world._

That was when what had to be the ugliest living thing in the world appeared, floating over her bed. "AGH!" she shrieked, getting tangled in the blankets as she fought to put some distance between her and the… the… the THING.

"Ah, I see. So 'ya don't like my face huh?"

_What?! But only that freaky woman had ever said that and… Suzuno turned to regard whatever little goblin had appeared in her room only to come face to face with none other than Taitsu-kun. "What are you doing here? You're just a person in my dream. You can't be real…"_

"Oh get over it." Taitsu-kun snapped. "Tatara and your other warriors are just characters in a book right? But does that make them any less real? I wasn't getting through to you in your dreams so I decided to come out here and _order_ you to stop loving Tatara.

Suzuno was enraged. "What do you mean ORDER me? You can't order me around. You aren't even half as tall as an Ewok!"

The old woman snarled, "Watch it," she scowled, "I am the creator of this world and I say that what you are doing cannot be done! The priestess is meant only to summon the beast god and then return to her world! She is not supposed to fall in love with one of her warriors! It is forbidden!"

"So?" 

"SO? If you don't stop this right now it will be torture for you to return to your world! Once you leave this book you will never see Tatara again. I may be an old hag but I do not wish to see my children ripped apart by matters of the heart. And that is surely what will happen if you do no stop this _right now!"_

With that, Taitsu-kun disappeared, leaving Suzuno wide-awake, bewildered, and tangled in her sheets on the floor. Unbidden, tears leaped to her eyes. _I can't do that! I can't just forget Tatara. I just won't summon Byakko. Then I won't have fulfilled the prophecy and I won't be able to go home. For a while she stewed over this new idea. No. It would be selfish to not summon the beast god. The country was in danger, and she had to take care of the people she had learned to love after so long._

Finally, Suzuno came to the only conclusion that made any sense at all. _I'll talk to Tatara about it tomorrow. See what he wants to do._ Knowing that Tatara would know what to do, or at least help her try and sort it out, comforted the distraught Priestess and soon she lay sleeping peacefully, _still tangled in sheets and laying sprawled out on the floor._

****

The next morning Suzuno grabbed Tatara before he could make it to the breakfast table, nearly dragging to poor man around a corner so that they could talk in private - without certain nosy perverts listening in.

Tatara, who was looking appropriately embarrassed to be seen being dragged around by such a small slip of a girl, rubbed a hand against the back of his neck, "Yes Suzuno?"

Suzuno looked down at her twiddling thumbs for a moment before answering, "Tatara. Lately I've been having these weird dreams."

"Dreams?"

"Yeah. And this strange old lady, Taitsu-kun, keeps telling me that I should…" she gulped, "That I… that we, have to stop loving each other." she glanced up at him through soft bangs and her voice rose angrily in memory of the old hag. "She says she's creator of the world or something at that we shouldn't love each other because in the end I'll have to leave and that it'll only cause us pain…" she trailed off miserably, staring at Tatara's shoes rather than his face. Tatara was silent and so she continued hesitantly. "… and I can't help but think that maybe, she's right."

She gasped softly when her upper arms were suddenly enclosed by hands as strong as steel. "Don't say that." Tatara's voice pleaded.

"But what is it's true? What if I can't stay here? The priestess of Genbu returned to her world after summoning Genbu… And Taitsu-kun, she said that once I leave this book, I'll never be able to come back." her throat clenched painfully. "When that happens I'll be as good as dead to you…"

Tatara looked pained, "Suzuno, I want you to understand something. I love you, and I know you love me. If we can be together I will be the happiest man alive." Suzuno blushed slightly at that and Tatara continued, "But if for some reason we can't, then we shouldn't worry about it now. We should live each day as if it were our last together, because if we love each other, then that's really all that matters. Even if we are separated, we'll always be together here." he released her and gestured to the place directly over his heart.

Suzuno fought back tears. Gods he was right…. no matter what anyone else said or told her to do, she was always going to love Tatara no matter what. Even if she did go back, he was right. He would always be in her heart, and she knew, that she would always be in his.

_~ The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,   
Went envying her and me:--   
Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,   
In this kingdom by the sea)   
That the wind came out of a cloud, chilling   
And killing my Annabel Lee. ~_

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~

Tatara realized that he had been sitting there for a few moments, not saying anything and he coughed slightly in embarrassment before continuing his story, "…but the other Byakko warriors were against our being in love. 'You and the Priestess can never consummate your love' they said." Tatara looked up at Tokaki ironically, "As they predicted, when Byakko was summoned, Suzuno returned to her world."

Tamahome looked at Tatara bewilderedly, as though he couldn't quite believe what he had heard. "But why?" He asked. "You should have asked Byakko to let her stay here. You know, used one of the three wishes. That's what Miaka and I are going to do." he shot a look at his priestess, as if to confirm that she still agreed, "You should have asked if she could stay in this world with you."

And once again Tatara was swallowed by his memories…

The seven Byakko Sichiseishi covered their eyes as Suzuno was engulfed in the brightest and whitest of light. "Suzuno!" he yelled as what looked like a bolt of lightning raced down from the heavens and struck a point not two feet from where his beloved Priestess was standing upon the alter. And then, out of the lightning, appeared the beast god.

      Suzuno's scream was cut off as she suddenly found herself floating in a place very much like what the inside of a supernova had to look like. There was whiteness, whiteness everywhere. And there, standing before her was what could only be the beast god of the west. Byakko. The White Tiger God of the Spirit.

      For being a god, Byakko didn't look that much different from a normal human, except for the fact his hair was a shocking white, like Tokaki's or Subaru's, held in place by a golden crown. His eyes were like those of a tiger. Golden and piercing, like they knew everything about a person just by looking at them. His face was strong looking, though finely chiseled, kind of like Tatara's now that Suzuno thought about it. And then, he spoke. His voice seemed to reverberate throughout Suzuno's body, like she was trying to use a jackhammer as a pogo stick, though at the same time gentle. "You are the Priestess who has summoned me?"

      Still in shock about being face to face with a god, Suzuno nodded dumbly.

Byakko's mouth twitched in a near-smile, "Then you shall join with me, and in exchange shall be granted the use of my holy power thrice. You have only to say the word Kaijin."

      Suzuno was certainly not prepared for Byakko's body to suddenly become nothing more than a beam of light and leap into her body. As the final flashes of light vanished and the Byakko seishi were finally able to look again, Suzuno was kneeling on the ground, arms wrapped around herself as though warding off a sudden chill. Seeing her Seishi start toward her, she shook her head and looked up to the heavens before shouting in a clear voice, "Kaijin!"

      She was then surrounded by an aura of white, and the symbol of Byakko appeared on her forehead. Tatara had never been more afraid for his Priestess than at that moment. Not even the Kutou soldiers had scared him this bad… she looked like she was in pain…

      "Protect Sairo forevermore from the advances of any enemy!" she cried, now looking as though something were trying to claw its way out of her belly. 

_It hurts so much… she whimpered and clutched herself harder only to realize that her hands were beginning to become covered in white fur. _

_What? What's happening? Is Byakko… eating me or something? A wave of cramps threw her onto her side and she grunted in pain even as Tatara drew her head into his lap. _

_Tatara… NO! I won't let this beat me. I will__ live! Glowering at the sky, Suzuno once again commanded Byakko's power. _

"Kaijin!" the symbol glowed brighter, "I wish for all my family, all my friends, to live peacefully for all their lives." she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, which were becoming pointed. Like a tigers. With an inward snarl Suzuno screamed at herself, _I SAID NO! I SAID THAT I WILL NOT BE BEATEN! Staring at Tatara's loving face, hovering closely above her own, fortified her will and Suzuno could feel the fur disappearing and her teeth shrinking back to their normal size. _

      Using Tatara as a means of support, Suzuno slowly climbed to her feet before once again. calling on the deity with as much dignity as a priestess could muster. 

"Kaijin!"

This time, instead of glowing brighter like it did the last time, the Byakko symbol faded and the beast god stood before the priestess, looking as out of place in the simple alter room as a peacock would have among a swarm of ravens. 

"Does the Priestess have her final wish?" he asked with a cat-toothed smile. He was pleased that the girl had managed to keep from being devoured by his power. Yes, it appeared he had chosen wisely this time around. The girl was strong.

      Suzuno nodded, her cheeks having taken on a rosy glow from her battle with the beast god's power. "I wish to stay here. And live out my life with Tatara."

      ~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~

Crickets chirped outside the shrine walls as Tatara bowed his head, not looking at either Tamahome or the Priestess of Suzaku. Their expressions would be all too familiar. "We did." he continued, his throat convulsing tightly, "However, Byakko said this to us. 'That is one wish I cannot grant you.'"

Miaka fell to her knees and stared at the Shinzaho in her hand as though she had never seen it before. 

_Even… even if I summon Suzaku, Tamahome and I can never be together? This can't be. Life can't be this cruel! She turned to Tamahome, tears in her eyes and anger burning in her heart, anger that she just had to throw at someone, and Tamahome was the closest target. "Well Tama, we both heard it. Even if we do summon Suzaku, I'll still have to go back." she fisted a hand and punched the ground as hard as she could, "We might as well give up."_

Tamahome enveloped his Priestess in a fierce hug. 

"No! I won't let even the laws of heaven triumph over us! If you can't stay in this world then… then I will go to your world!" Miaka stiffened, she had never thought of that, and Tamahome sounded as though he meant every word…

Tatara took in the scene with envious eyes, and then opened his mouth to finish his story. He had never told anyone what he was telling these two, because he had never met anyone who needed to hear it as much as they seemed to. It was then, that Tatara of the Byakko Seven coughed and then slumped to the floor.

_~ But our love it was stronger by far than the love   
Of those who were older than we--   
Of many far wiser than we-   
And neither the angels in Heaven above,   
Nor the demons down under the sea,   
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul   
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:--~_

      "Tatara!" Tokaki yelled, rushing to his friend's side and propping Tatara's head on his knees. "Tatara, you have to hang on!" the old warrior yelled, as though dying were making Tatara hard of hearing.

      Tatara looked up at Tokaki through wizened amethyst eyes, "I guess you really can't extend your life beyond its natural limits can you?" he joked, his young looking body belying the fact that his spirit no longer had the strength to continue living. 

"Tokaki, Subaru. Forgive me." He paused and looked past Tokaki's worried face, what was that? It felt as though… as though a string were buried somewhere deep in his heart, and someone was tugging on it, drawing him towards them… His eyes widened a fraction as realization hit him. 

_Suzuno… _

"The time has come for me to go," he paused again, searching for the right words. "to heaven."

      The old pervert was enraged at how calmly Tatara was taking this. 

"No you fool! What are you saying? We promised Suzuno ninety years ago that we would live together, and die together! Don't you remember the day we took that oath?!"

      Tatara turned his face away, towards Miaka and Tamahome; he had to finish this… "Even though we always knew we would be separated, Suzuno and I, the Priestess and I, loved each other until our very last day together. The same way that you two now love each other." 

He gave them a look that clearly meant that if they knew what was good for them they would take his advice. 

"Though we had to part, though we would never be together again, we had no regrets. Even if she returned to her world, married another man. If the woman I loved could be happy, then I could be happy. And I am. Our hearts had joined, and so even if she lived in a different world, we really were together always." 

He sighed happily as a more insistent tug pulled at him. 

"Always. I will never let go of this feeling, or my love for her."

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

      _Tatara, we will always __be together. Always. _

Suzuno smiled as she listened to Tetsuya read from the Universe of the Four Gods, and with that smile gracing her lips, Suzuno Oosugi passed on from this world.

      Motoki looked up from his cross legged position next to her, his voice quavering a little. She wasn't breathing. 

"Grandmother?"

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

      The Byakko shrine was silent for an instant as a slight breeze ruffled Tatara's hair, and taking his spirit with it. Tokaki hugged his lost friend's body as tears escaped his tightly closed eyes, "Tatara!"

      "Tatara!" Subaru clutched the sides of her head and shook it, as though to deny the fact that her fellow warrior was dead.

There is no sound as sorrowful as that which one makes when having lost a loved one.

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

      "She's gone!" 

Motoki sounded completely shocked at the fact that Suzuno was gone. She had always, ALWAYS, been such a lively woman. Full of all her ridiculous stories of her adventures as the Priestess of Byakko, which of course he had never believed, now though, he wished he had paid better attention to them, as now the tales were lost forever on the winds of time.

Keisuke wiped a tear away. He had only known the woman for several hours, yet he had already grown so attached to her that he couldn't help but wanting to cry. He watched as Motoki placed a white cloth over her face and bowed his head to offer a final farewell to the beloved old woman.

The Priestess of Byakko.

As he closed his eyes, a strange feeling came over him. Opening then again with a frown, there seemed to be a bright light coming from somewhere. All the lights were off, so what was going on? Turning slightly, Keisuke gaped when he saw that the light was unlike anything man or nature had ever seen before. An ethereal shade of blue, the soft -yet so very bright- light shone like a beacon through the rice papered doors of Suzuno's home.

Curious, Keisuke padded to the door and gently slid the door open, as though fearing that whatever was making the light would suddenly vanish. The sky was the darkest shade of blue, and the stars shone bright. Not a cloud was in the sky, yet it was still snowing lightly. The kind of snow that is usually only seen in movies, it looked…. magical. Keisuke sighed, as he took in the sight of snow gathering thickly on the surrounding pine trees and clumping in heaps on bushes and blanketing the ground. It was only when he looked to the forest that he finally saw what had been giving off such a heavenly glow.

      "It's … It's Tatara!" he exclaimed softly, almost in a whisper as he sensed rather than heard Tetsuya and Motoki come up behind him. _I don't believe it! A character actually came out of that book?_

      Motoki was shell-shocked, and his normally cocky sounding voice quavered as he took in the transparent appearance of the Byakko Sichiseishi. 

"Then it's all true!" he gasped in disbelief, as though the death of his grandmother was causing him to hallucinate horribly.

      "Tatara!" gasped a soft female voice that none of them recognized. Keisuke blinked. It had come from right behind them…

      Keisuke glanced back over his shoulder and stared. Standing over the wrinkled body of Suzuno was yet another apparition. A young girl of about seventeen, with eyes the color of morning mist, and long brown hair that was plaited in two long braids down her back. The girl was plainly pretty, but was clad in an old fashioned school uniform from around the early 1930's. The look on her face was… indescribable, except to say that she looked happier and more joyful than Keisuke had seen anyone in all his life. She could only be one person…

"Suzuno!" Tatara exclaimed in wonderment as he saw his beloved Priestess for the first time in ninety years.

"Tatara!" Suzuno whispered as she glided past Motoki, Tetsuya and Keisuke to get to Tatara. Her feet never once touched the ground as she glided straight into Tatara's waiting arms. 

Keisuke could feel tears threatening to fall as he witnessed the lovers' reunion. With a sniff, he scrubbed at his face with his jacket sleeve. Even Tetsuya had to lift his sunglasses a bit to wipe away the welling tears. 

"It's all okay now." he whispered, whether to himself or Tetsuya or to Miaka and Tamahome he didn't know. 

"It took them so long," he sniffed. "but they were always at peace!" 

He fought the tears as he watched Tatara's eyes close blissfully as he wrapped his arms round his love, looking as though he planned to never let her go again. And maybe he wouldn't. And maybe she wouldn't let him. 

"And even now, they're both so happy…" The spirits turned and for the first and last time acknowledged their audience with a nod and a smile as they bid a farewell before fading into the night wrapped in each others arms. 

      Reaching for the first solid object around, Keisuke propped his arm up on the wooden beam and then leaned his forehead against it before breaking down and crying. He had never seen anything so beautiful before this night.

_~ For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams   
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;   
And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes   
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;   
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side   
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,   
In her sepulcher there by the sea--   
In her tomb by the side of the_ _sea. _~

      _At last... As Tatara stared at the little house before him he could not help but feel elated__. _

_Finally, after so many years of being apart, my Suzuno and I can be together again. And this time, nothing would ever be able to come between them again; Gods or no.___

_      Each night after my Suzuno had left, I dreamed about her always. Every night as the moon rose, the memories would come. It did not matter how many times I relived them, I still loved to remember every minute, every detail, of our time together. The other Seishi never were far away, but they were no substitute for her… no one could compare_.

      After she left, his sole purpose had become to protect the Shinzaho; The only thing of hers that he had left. Tatara could not rest until he was either killed, or had at last given the Shinzaho to one who would use it for good, and who would understand what it had meant to him to love Suzuno.

      _As I look up, I see a young boy appear in the doorway, obviously he wonders what I am doing here. Is he Suzuno's son? Grandson? What had become of my beloved after she returned here? Two more figures appear and then… I see her. _Suzuno! Oh Suzuno, how I have waited…__

      "Tatara!"

      _She has not changed a bit since I last saw her, aside from the fact that she seems even more beautiful now than she ever was before. Ah well. Good things come to those who wait…I quip to myself waiting in the shadow of the forest as Suzuno glides gracefully past the three boys and across the white blanket of snow._

      Not able to wait for her to get to him, Tatara reached for her and at last he once again he was holding his angel in his arms. 

"Suzuno!" he murmured as he embraced her tightly, resting his chin on her shoulder. "How I have missed you…"

Truly they had kept their promise to one another. They had lived together, and they had died together.

      Together again, the Priestess and her warrior turned and acknowledged the people who stood amazed on the porch. 

_Yes, thought Suzuno,_ love **can conquer all…**__

As the two faded into the night, going to wherever spirits go, one thought rang through both their hearts. 

_At last…_


End file.
